A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is happening and can we stop it?
Hadiya Pendleton (From AP)
With the terrible news that a Price Middle School student was shot today in Atlanta by a classmate, I thought I would share Chicago Teachers Union President and National Board chemistry teacher Karen GJ Lewis’ statement about a shooting in Chicago Tuesday in which a high school student died.
King College Prep student Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. while walking through a Chicago park with a dozen classmates. The teens had been dismissed early from their high school classes after finishing their finals. The group had dashed under a canopy in the park when it began to rain. In an apparent case of mistaken identity, a gunman running through the park opened fire on the high school group, killing Hadiya and injuring two other students
A member of her school’s majorette team, Hadiya had just returned from Washington after performing at an inaugural event.
(The official statement from APS on the shooting here Thursday: Around 1:50 p.m. today, Atlanta Police responded to reports of a person shot at Price Middle School at 1670 Benjamin Weldon Bickers Drive in southeast Atlanta. On arrival, officers discovered a student had been shot outside of the building. The student was transported in stable condition to Grady Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back of his neck. He was alert, conscious and breathing on transport. Family members have told authorities he may be released as soon as tonight. A suspect, tentatively identified as a fellow student, was immediately apprehended by a school resource officer – an off-duty Atlanta Police officer – and taken into custody. A weapon, a small caliber handgun, was recovered at the scene. Charges against the shooter are pending. A school employee suffered minor injuries immediately following the shooting, though she was not wounded by gunfire. No other students were injured as a result of the incident. Identities of the victim and shooter will not be released due to their status as juveniles. The incident, including the motive, is under investigation by the Atlanta Police Department. Preliminarily, it appears the incident was the result of a previous disagreement between the juveniles involved.)
Here is Lewis’ statement on Hadiya’s murder:
“This has been a trying week for our brothers and sisters in Chicago schools and all of us at the Chicago Teachers Union. We had these same feelings after losing Heaven Sutton, Aliyah Shell, Tyquan Tyler, Nazia Banks and the other nearly 60 children under the age of 17 who were senselessly cut down by violence last year.
“We have much pain in our hearts, but the most sorrow comes in the fact that unless something is done right now by all of us who have some influence in these young lives, this is pain that we are sure to feel again.
“I spent much of yesterday morning visiting with students, teachers and administrators at King College Prep, the school Hadiya Pendleton attended before her young and innocent life was taken Tuesday afternoon. The King community is, to put it simply, devastated. Hadiya was 15 years old and a smart, bright girl—a drum majorette and a Latin student—with no limit to what she could have achieved in the future. To those who loved her, she was a daughter, a sister and a friend.
“As I spoke to teachers at King, each of them had their own way of reflecting and reacting to this tragedy, but they all viewed this incident through the lens of, “What can we do that’s best for the children? How can we protect our kids?” Hadiya wasn’t skipping school, nor was she in a gang. This is finals week at King, which is why she was out of school so early that day. She went to the park with some friends. That’s what kids do.
“The prevalence of violence on our streets is starting to reduce the wonderful qualities that kids like Hadiya possess—qualities we all want in our children—to homicide statistics. As an educator, I empathize with the teachers for whom the aftermaths of these incidents are grave daily realities. We’re living in a society that’s completely out of kilter. Our children feel disrespected and their outsized response is violence. They’re given no methodology for learning how to cope with their anger.
“Our city can no longer ignore its duty to protect our children. This is a refrain that echoes each time a child is shot down, but at some point, the status quo and the violence must end. I’m tired of hearing the narrative that says parents don’t care about their children. The combination of poverty and violence is a dual punishment for us all. But what about the working poor who have little time to watch over their children because they spend 12-16 hour days providing for their families? Some of their children are among those who feel unsafe and angry at society for not keeping them safe. So they lash out. Again, that’s what kids do.
“In our neighborhoods, we suffer from the scars of violence and not being able to ask people for help when we need it. This creates disconnect between communities and solutions. We must stop propagating a war on drugs. It’s been an abject failure and has created many ancillary and unintended consequences. Prosecuting ‘offenders’ in the war on drugs only has made the situation worse.
“We also need to stop adhering to the theory that if you go work hard and do for self then everything will be fine. This hasn’t proven to be true. We must establish a widespread concept of respect in our young people—ways to earn it, negotiate it and positively deal with and learn from its absence. We need a second war on poverty in our country, and job creators need to bring employment to our low-income, impoverished communities. Jobs give life meaning.
“Children need productivity, because productivity is what a mentally and physically healthy child will crave. I look at regions that have succeeded in reducing violence against children as models, such as Venezuela and its classical music education enterprise, El Sistema. We must guide our children in channeling all of their anger and hostility into something positive, train educators to help parents be successful at what they do and reclaim schools as the anchors of our communities.
“We all need to be part of these solutions. The union works with most—if not all—of the schoolchildren in Chicago every day, and we know that agencies of influence must honestly engage in dialogue with principals, teachers and paraprofessionals and school-related personnel members in their schools to gather an idea of what needs to be done to combat violence within building walls and on the street. We are not only experiencing the loss of young lives, but also widespread trauma among family, friends and communities. Clinicians, and in particular social workers, counselors, psychologists, and nurses, are often left out of discussions despite having the expertise on the aftermath of these tragedies. All too often, there is a one-day ‘grief counseling’ event when students and staff are at the height of shock, but the real need for wrap-around services and grief therapy occurs weeks and months after the event.
“Our members and members of the community are the eyes and ears these agencies should be depending on, in addition to engaging students to learn what their personal fears are regarding safety, bullying and gang recruitment and retaliation. This is the same concept applied to neighborhood watch—everyone’s fight, everyone’s victory.
“It is imperative that we continue to explore and work together to see how we might make a difference in our city, where there are an alleged 164,000 gang members infiltrating our neighborhoods and streets. We welcome a call from CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy to solicit the input and assistance of our members, because Hadiya is more than a statistic to us. She is family, she is innocence lost, and while we are not foolish enough to think she will be the last member of our family to perish, we will continue our efforts to fight for the more than 400,000 students in CPS so they have the opportunity to learn and grow up as leaders—and protectors—of future generations.”
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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133 comments Add your comment
Interesting Observation
January 31st, 2013
9:30 pm
Milton Man, constantly being enraged at everyone who does not share your skin color or your politics will slowly devour your soul. Dude, you’re gulping poison.
bradjohnson
January 31st, 2013
9:31 pm
“Interesting”. I want to solve the problem not stick my head the sand like Maureen. I work and volunteer to solve the problem but I (we) need help. I go into these schools. I work with these kids who have no parenting. People like Maureen perpetuate the problem since you can’t solve a problem until you at first acknowledge it.
Stop the blather
January 31st, 2013
9:31 pm
Ms. Downey, Can you limit comments? Bootney F needs to give it a rest. Racist and rude.
USC
January 31st, 2013
9:33 pm
There is an atmosphere of acceptance that this level of violence is what comes with freedom. This is clearly not freedom, although our country has developed out of revolution, violence, revolt, and repeated involvement in wars. Now that we are mature, we need to revise are culture and it will be difficult. The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council report that U.S. firearm homicides are 20 times higher and firearm suicides are 6 times higher than in other developed countries. What regulations do Canada, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, and Spain have that makes them so much safer and provide their young males, specifically, with markedly longer survivals. Maybe we can learn something. The Gun Culture completely blocked gun violence research which Dr. Arthur Kellerman was recruited from Seattle to Emory to study. President Obama has asked for Congress to appropriate funds and has re-ordered the CDC to begin to fund investigations leading to answers about gun violence. The Second Amendment states that the arms should be “WELL REGULATED”. Multiple regulations background checks, the registration of all arms, limitation on numbers, assault weapons ban, etc. seem like common sense to most of us but are screamed down by a violent minority which has frightened Congress into silence. We have to wake them up.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:35 pm
@ mom 3
problem with your idea is that most thugs don’t get their guns at home? they get them, illegally, on the streets. so who do you wanna go after then?
and, a pitbull has a known behavioral issue (BTW: want to guess what part of society they are the most popular with. hint, Maureen won’t like it) a gun is an inanimate object. a gun in and of itself is no more dangerous than a kitchen knife or baseball bat or a car.
The Deal
January 31st, 2013
9:36 pm
Maureen, there will never be a rational discussion regarding guns in this state. The shooters at Columbine, Newtown, Gabby Gifford shooter, and VA Tech were white, but this is “definitely” a black problem. Right. Who is committing these crimes is largely dependent on where the crimes take place. In inner cities, it is most likely majority black; suburban and rural crimes are largely white. The common thread in all of these was easy access to firearms.
I’m just waiting to hear that if only those 5 and 6-year olds had been armed, that man wouldn’t have been able to take the boy hostage in AL.
Again, though, there will never be a rational discussion here in GA, so don’t even try, Maureen.
Victor
January 31st, 2013
9:38 pm
Look at the race of the shooters and the victims. You have your answer.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:40 pm
@ stop
exactly where did I say one group of society was better than another based on their genetic makeup?
BAM~! pwned you, too.
you might wish to actually learn what you’re talking about before you attempt to silence someone.
another trick of the white guilt liberal crowd.
rude? if being willing to discuss a tough topic is rude, and not willing to back down when it becomes inconvenient for the white guilt liberal crowd is rude….I’ll own that
Truth in Moderation
January 31st, 2013
9:42 pm
The NRA’s recommendation of armed school guards isn’t so crazy after all. It’s already implemented at Price Middle. THIS POLICY PREVENTED ANOTHER SANDY HOOK.
“The shooter was disarmed and taken into custody minutes after the incident by an off-duty Atlanta police officer, Turner said. He said the off-duty police officer, who was armed, works at Price Middle School as a so-called resource officer, providing security.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/31/us-usa-shooting-atlanta-idUSBRE90U18Y20130131
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January 31st, 2013
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bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
9:50 pm
“I’m just waiting to hear that if only those 5 and 6-year olds had been armed, that man wouldn’t have been able to take the boy hostage in AL.”
ahhhh yes. the liberal white guilt crowd version of rational discussion.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) « Current News « Direct Global Media
January 31st, 2013
9:51 pm
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TonyB
January 31st, 2013
9:56 pm
@ Sandy Springs Parent
If you have knowingly allowed your child to be mentally and physically abused for over a year without taking any type of legal action, then you should be ashamed of yourself. As for your co-worker, the so-called Vietnam Vet, he’s an idiot. However, he was completely correct when he stated, “your baby doesn’t deserve to be treated like that”.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Shwe Newspaper
January 31st, 2013
9:57 pm
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donttakemygun
January 31st, 2013
9:57 pm
Black is THE PROBLEM. Black fathers have to SHOW UP. It cant be “my baby’s mama” anymore. These young gangbangers are looking for “a belonging”. They want to be appreciated, loved, LEAD. I lead a youth group of mid-schoolers at a local church and that is one of the reasons.
10:10 am
January 31st, 2013
9:58 pm
The blood of this young girl—and 500 more inner-city Chicago youths like her who will die violently over the next 12 months—is on the hands of white liberals defending the indefensible: a welfare system which destroys the black family.
gk
January 31st, 2013
10:03 pm
“Our city can no longer ignore its duty to protect our children….”
How bad does it have to get before we restore prayer “in the name of Jesus” in the classroom?
We ask God to get out. But, we need Him there for every blessing He provides.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:05 pm
@ donttakemygun
disagree with your lead premise. “black” in and of itself isn’t the problem. in this instance the problem comes from a subculture within the black community. same one exists in every community. it;s just that in this issue in these circumstances it happens to be the a subculture within the black community which is the main problem
I will grant that until the larger black community et al stops condoning this, it will go on unabated.
A student shot to death in Chicago. A student shot in the neck in Atlanta. What is … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)| Best of the best news websites| Top Klicker
January 31st, 2013
10:07 pm
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bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:08 pm
@ gk
how exactly will prayer in class fix this issue? will the kids be kept praying all day so they won’t have time to reload?
as has been well established, a LOT of praying was going on at Columbine.
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:10 pm
interesting how some of my stuff goes straight up (anything which in some way supports the white liberal guilt crowd) but pieces critical of them are still in moderation.
that takes it to either censorship or a form of prior restraint
bootney farnsworth
January 31st, 2013
10:12 pm
@ USC
Delta is so ready when you are.
don’t be a stranger, now
Feldman Hawkes
January 31st, 2013
10:14 pm
Old timer had the most sensible comments I’ve read lately. The non-Christian Right Wing preaches that “God helps those who help themselves” — ironically, the bible teaches us that God helps those who CANNOT help themselves, and that we should do the same.
Pompano
January 31st, 2013
10:19 pm
Go Bootney! – appreciate your courage in enduring the attacks this evening.
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January 31st, 2013
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Ben J
January 31st, 2013
10:23 pm
What amazes me most about people on these websites is they have plenty of opinions but no answers! All of the rhetoric that most of they are trying to pass on as wisdom are rehashed and tired old arguments that carry little weight and substance and help very little! So instead of just talking to hear yourself spend some time researching, meditating, or whatever method you use to affect positive change! And then come to the table with the viable solutions that are helpful and relevant when it comes to solving a crisis!
The Kid
January 31st, 2013
10:27 pm
America is now, and has always been a violent country. What’s so hard about telling the truth? We have the highest military budget in the world. Don’t be naïve and mislead yourself into believing the fantasy that this money is just for defense. This country is violent from the top down.
Violence abounds
January 31st, 2013
10:39 pm
The Kid – Absolutely. Our entire government – well, every government in fact – is predicated on violence. No government is about voluntary choice. Even the most benign (which is certainly NOT the US) ultimately claims the right to hold the monopoly on legal violence in its territory. Government is not about freedom, it is not about being able to do with your property, your life, your income, or your body as you see fit so long as you don’t hurt anyone else. Yes, maybe that is exactly what government should be about, but it is currently not.
We lock up millions for the simple crime of putting into their bodies substances the government has decided are “illegal.” Not because they actually harmed someone or someone’s property. We attack, invade, occupy country after country as if the world was ours to run and these countries are not following OUR orders. Our president has assassinated 2 american citizens without due process and has condemned hundreds of others including innocent men, women, and children (collateral damage) to death without due process or even the permission of the country he is ordering the killing in. Yet neither he nor the other criminals in the government face any consequences for their actions.
Everyone in society sees the truth of these facts every day. Why should we expect that our children would think that violence against others to achieve your goals is wrong? That is exactly what nearly every president in the 20th century (and the 21st) has demonstrated.
jimiz_1
January 31st, 2013
10:43 pm
I get so sick of the games that people play with one another. I get even more tired of people that misrepresent the issue. There’s only the truth weather you want to believe it or not. Anyone out here with a little intelligence can distinguish the difference between right and made-up. I am a Native American i grew up in this country watching blacks discriminate and use race to smear the lines. They use the race card whenever they feel like it will benefit them. They use reverse racism when referring to white people as the devil ect. But at the same time they are responsible for most the violent crime in this country. Their mentality is one that they feel they are owed something and if they don’t get it they will turn on a dime and call you racist. This is a major problem in this society and until the black culture in America takes responsibility for their actions as a group we will continue the race to ruin. Its time for white people to wise up.. You guys will never be able to truly live in peace with these people. They don’t like you they teach their kids not to like you. Its that simple most the blacks in this country think they are better then everyone else because after segregation ended blacks have been put on a high chair because of white people wanted them to feel important and make them feel a sense of belonging we have celebrated their acheivements but few other races have the same treatment. The white guilt must stop and the truth must become the light of change.
Pompano
January 31st, 2013
10:47 pm
Curious why my postings – and not others – are being held-up?
adsf
January 31st, 2013
11:00 pm
jail isn’t a punishment because for many of these kids it’s considered a right of passage. jails, as they exist today, are for punishment and not rehabilitation. some studies have shown that as much as 60% criminals are returned to jail within 3 years of release. until jails serve to fix those in them, the cycle will continue. the kids that these convicts have will follow the paths of their parents.
jimiz_1
January 31st, 2013
11:01 pm
There use to be a thing called the fear of God. For he who sins without remorse and breaks the ten commandments. Will surely face the wrath of God in their time of judgement and be sentenced to an eternity of damnation in hell.
Whatever happen to that? Just because its in fashion to sin and break the commandments to turn away from our creator and act like we will face no consequences doesn’t mean that we won’t. Hell on earth can mean alot of things we maybe causeing the approach of revelations right now and not even know it. We are doomed if we cannot control ourselves and our actions.
RCB
January 31st, 2013
11:04 pm
“…Our children feel disrespected and their outsized response is violence.”
Puh-lease. Disrespected? Try showing some respect and you might get respect. Funny, as a child and teenager, the thought of being disrespected never crossed my mind. Respecting my parents did, but that’s what’s sorely lacking now. Why is it always society’s problem and not those who perpetrate these crimes? And needing a second War on Poverty? The first “war” has created most of the problems we see today. What in the world did civilization do before 1965?
adsf
January 31st, 2013
11:11 pm
since this is devolving into a gun issue for some reason…
the primary correlations to violence are population density and poverty level. inner cities have the highest levels of both and therefore have the highest crime rates (after per capita adjustments). this is mostly of why the most commonly used guns in crimes are the cheapest guns available.
while I can’t argue about the influence of firearm availability, the truth is that nothing can be done about it. drugs, which are enforced with absurdly long sentences are laughably available on many college campuses and party scenes. the only thing you can do to fix the problem is to try to fix the culture that glorifies poverty, prison, and poor decisions. I think it will be near impossible to fix while there still exists a black market that makes crimes and gangs profitable. think about the problems and laws that arose during prohibition.
Digger
January 31st, 2013
11:17 pm
Another picture of the elusive Loch Ness Monster, rumored to run rampant in a certain culture, but apologized and rationalized away by certain ‘journalists’ who do so if not out of real belief, then desire to keep one’s job.
Gerald
January 31st, 2013
11:25 pm
@jimiz_1:
“I am a Native American i grew up in this country watching blacks discriminate ”
Yeah, sure buddy. Give me examples of this black discrimination.
Of all the times that other races have been denied bank loans by blacks. (Impossible because blacks own virtually no banks.)
Of all the times that redlining decisions by blacks have kept jobs and businesses out of nonwhite neighborhoods. (Impossible because blacks own less than 10% of the businesses in this country, and none of them are Fortune 500 or 1000 companies with real economic power.)
Of all the times that government decisions by blacks have resulting in housing or school segregation. (Impossible because Congress is overwhelmingly white, there is only 1 black governor, and state legislatures are overwhelmingly white making it impossible for blacks to pass reverse Jim Crow type laws.)
That folks even say nonsense like this is laughable. Yes, it is possible for blacks to be racist, to personally dislike white people. (But if you have this evidence that most blacks hate whites and teach their kids to hate whites … provide it. It doesn’t exist because it isn’t true. And being that you are “Native American” and neither white or black, even if it was true, how could you have possibly seen it? How many black parents have you seen teaching their kids to hate whites, and how many whites have you seen receive hateful treatment from blacks? So even if this were true – and it isn’t – there is no practical way that you could have possibly, personally seen it. You are just lying.) But blacks lack the political and economic power as well as the sheer numbers to discriminate against anybody. The most that they can do is gain political control of a city like Atlanta and give contracts and jobs to their friends. While that behavior is regrettable, white politicians do the same thing. It is just that it isn’t considered racist when they do it. How many blacks received any contracts or jobs from Sonny Perdue or Nathan Deal? That’s what I thought, and nobody cares. But let Kasim Reed give some of his friends airport concessions contracts and it is a crime against humanity, right?
And by the way, I am 1/8th “Native American” (Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe), more than enough to claim Native American status and benefit from the many affirmative action and other programs based on it. But hey, I chose not to because I made very good grades in school and didn’t need it. You’d probably be a lot less bitter and therefore not have the need to invent outright fabrications had you done the same.
Rush
January 31st, 2013
11:30 pm
wow….looks like my comments were held up also
Gerald
January 31st, 2013
11:39 pm
Other than MiltonMan’s idiotic suggestion that this girl somehow brought about her own fate by not studying enough, people certainly are doing their level best to ignore the crime victim, by all accounts a law abiding, high achieving person with a bright future, here.
With that being said, liberals like Maureen Downey would rather blame the guns than the criminals as well as the social conditions that produce them. And the social conditions part is key. Black crime rates were much lower in this country 50 years ago when poverty, racism and discrimination were much bigger problems in the black community. So it isn’t race, it is culture, and this proves it, because if it were race, the crime rates would have been the same then as it is now. And it isn’t guns, because gun ownership rates were higher back then. And again, it isn’t poverty and racism because of what was already stated. Instead, it is that illegitimacy rates in the black community back then were lower than they are for the white community now. But since a good liberal feminist like Ms. Downey can’t challenge the “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” philosophy, then it has to be guns, and not illegitimacy and family breakdown. The reality is that you could take away all the guns and Chicago would still be filled to the brim with criminals, and they would just find other ways to victimize people. And none of this putting all the blame on the men, calling them deadbeat dads and such. Women are just as responsible for choosing desirable men to enter into relationships with. So women – and girls – who choose to have children with gang bangers, drug dealers, guys who are in and out of jail, guys who have no interest in marrying them (and in most cases the girls have no interest in marriage either) and guys who have already fathered illegitimate children with other women are as responsible for this culture as the males are. But no, feminism will not allow conceding that.
But we have gotten so politically correct in this country that the CDC won’t even do a study correlating violent crime rates to illegitimacy. It would be very simple to do … simple regression statistical analysis that a college student intern could do. And the study would show that having a robust social safety net and high public education spending – like they do in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Baltimore, D.C,, New Jersey, etc. – DOES NOT mitigate the correlation between violent crime and illegitimacy. Oh well …
justmelord
January 31st, 2013
11:48 pm
i have a child at pricemiddle school she wasn’t in school today because we got up late so i let her stay home,parent take time and see what your children are doing there are gangs iiiiiiiiforming in thaat school last year i went to the police,,shool officials ifyou don’t have a name nothing is done,i go to the school take and pick up my child,have been to meeting only few parent showed up,last year everyday the was fights student frrom carver high school would come and fight student at price and they fight among themselves 6 familie got evicted because of gang fight and parent get into the fight,paren we need to get invvoled see what you children are doing get out there and demand more involement from apd and school board but we must come together as a group taking your child out of price isn’t the problem its the children they disrespect the teachers i have seen this for myself it not anything someone told me llets get togeather as parent involed for our community.
Jungle Work
February 1st, 2013
12:02 am
I believe the Latest Stats for shooting in Chicago is 70 % Black, 15% Latino and 15% White, Asian and Indian.
My, Oh! My, does that show where the problem is.
Tap Out
February 1st, 2013
12:03 am
It ain’t a Black person killing 6 year old’s wholesale or holding a child hostage in an underground bunker after killing a bus driver. I don’t fear inner city murders because I don’t hang out in those neighborhoods, nor do I roam the streets at all hours of the night. The numbers show that the vast majority of inner city murders happen in areas which most of us will never enter. However I do fear random mass violence or crazed loner killings because those will seek you out anywhere. How about the poor kid shot in the driveway of the crazy frightened homeowner? Show me a White person killed in a Black housing project, and I’ll show you a drug deal gone bad.
TheGoldenRam
February 1st, 2013
12:09 am
I don’t think this problem can be solved, at least not in our lifetime. Years ago I bought into the concept that many of these young, poor, uneducated women were conceiving children as a way of attaining government assistance. There may be some that do, but overwhelmingly it’s something else. Ironically, if that were the problem, it would be much easier to solve. Sadly, I think the real problem is much more difficult than that. I think it’s love. I’ve read too much over the years about these young mothers and I’ve personally spoken to a number of them about their lives. I’ve heard the same explanation over & over. They say, “I had a child because I wanted someone to love me.” So if the young women look to a baby for the love they desire, to whom do the young men turn? To gangs and other angry young men in similar situations. They grow-up with a warped sense of normality and repeat the same mistakes over & over again. Fathers are abandoning mothers who are are poor, uneducated and woefully unprepared to successfully raise children. I’ve made the following comment before. I’m not religious, but I strongly believe that children need both of their parents. Government and society cannot replicate those roles. It sure isn’t for a lack of trying either. In many urban school districts, schools have more in common with social services centers than academic institutions. It’s proxy parenting and it will never be the same as having a mom & dad that love you.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal printed a great story a few weeks ago about how Poverty, Inc. is the largest growth industry in the city’s future. Some $5 BILLION a year is spent on poverty programs in just that city. They estimate that over the next 25 years, about 500,000 children will be born to poor, young, uneducated, single women. This in a city that currently has over 100,000 open child support cases, of which they haven’t established paternity for about 50% of the kids. As most people already know, Memphis is awash in juvenile crime and violence. The Washington Examiner stated in a story a few weeks ago about the Head Start study, that the elephant in the room is that only 14% of District kids have a father in the home. Look at the stats for Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Atlanta, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Houston, L.A., Miami, Newark, and on & on. These shootings aren’t your anomalies like Columbine and Newton. These very common shootings are a symptom of a greater social and cultural meltdown that is, and has for decades, been playing out within certain communities.
We need to be able to have a mature national discussion about what are, and what are not, proper values, morals and cultural norms. It needs to be a discussion premised on correcting historical injustices, as I firmly believe that American society created this problem. This is a legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, the convict lease programs, historical economic and political exclusion, discrimination & disenfranchisement, and a host of other injustices that our society visited upon certain peoples. We destroyed peoples’ hopes, dreams, opportunities and THEIR FAMILIES. For decades we have tried to replace those very human needs via the artificial intervention of the government. Trillions spent and it’s only getting worse. Money won’t solve these things. It’s not going to work and it’s going to continue to worsen. In a few more generations, the very ideas of marriage, a committed mom/dad and the benefits of the nuclear family will be completely lost to some communities. The ‘village’ will never compensate for those fundamental concepts. Who knows how you put those things back together from scratch. Especially when so few are willing to even acknowledge the basic realities of what is occurring around us.
Mai Bungitak
February 1st, 2013
12:13 am
Asking the US GOVERNMENT to enforcing a strongly law of selling any weapons in the US Countries. The US GOVERNMENT must tell all the Big Factories inside US Countries not do sell out their weapon products to all Big Business and all Small Business around the US Countries or stop selling out their weapon products and also stop import weapon products…..
Ken
February 1st, 2013
12:31 am
Ghetto culture has been ignored, excused and even popularized. It is a disease that is destroying communities and lives all over the country and will continue to do so. Prominent black people who don’t challenge the culture are culpable.
Lee
February 1st, 2013
12:46 am
{{{clap, clap, clap}}}
Bravo Bootney for telling the unvarnished, politically incorrect truth.
The best indicator of the violent crime rate of an area is the percentage of blacks and hispanics. The most graphic example of this is that blacks in Nebraska comprise a mere 4.7% of the population, but account for 80% of the murders.
As far as the “black attitude” about crime, I remember a news story back in the 80’s. The police were trying to arrest a black rapist who had raped a young black girl aged 12 or so. The police had to call for backup as the black citizens were attacking the police for arresting one of their “brothers”.
Simply amazing…
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:12 am
The problem is a lack of accountability in the minority community, specifically the black community. Since the government/media adopted a white guilt based stance in the 60’s things have only gotten worse. With every single mother who’s poor decisions are subsidized by gov’t handouts, the problem gets worse and worse. Gangs are a safe haven for the “lost boys” of the inner city who should find that support in their family unit which is unfortunately non-existent.
See video – http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e06_1359380173
Tap Out – Here’s your example of a white person killed in a project which had nothing to do with drugs – http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-08-30/news/0608300125_1_mental-police-powers-officers
or another one where the victims were killed specifically b/c they’re white. – http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/thandiwe-admits-to-shooting-my-mind-was-blank/nWBB2/
The solution is to end the racism witch hunt that is common practice currently so we can address these inconvenient truths and do something about them.
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:17 am
Government is the problem.
MikeinATL
February 1st, 2013
2:19 am
I would also ask, if poverty and population density are the problem, why does Portland, OR have such low crime rates? How do you explain the history of Detroit?
Yudont Nomey
February 1st, 2013
2:29 am
I agree with Gerald and the Golden Ram and I’ll go one further. I believe the breakdown of society is because women are not homemakers anymore. Society never valued the monumental and unrecognized role of women in society. Woman wanted respect and appreciation like men so even they lost respect for what they did and wanted to earn money like men and do the things men do.
But nobody wants to do thing women traditionally did, like make a home and be the glue that holds the family together. Even women who stay at home with their kids don’t want to be known as home-makers. My mother’s generation (who mostly stayed at home and raised their kids) didn’t want to be called “house wife”. Mama said it sounded like all she did was get married and stay in a house. She demanded to be called a homemaker because she worked hard to make our house a home. Now the few women who stay home call themselves “stay-at-home-Mom”. What does that say? They gave birth and they stay at home. Peg Bundy did that. So, my question is, “who is being the woman in this society?” That’s what’s wrong with this society.
Iran ‘steps up Syria support’, Hillary Clinton warns – BBC News
February 1st, 2013
2:33 am
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